University of Albany's Gary Pitcheralle and Zach Kraham Earn America East Weekly Baseball Honors - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. – Senior left fielder Gary Pitcheralle and freshman right hander Zach Kraham earned America East Conference Baseball weekly awards for the first time this season, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Pitcheralle was named the conference’s player of the week while Kraham earned rookie of the week honors as they both helped lead UAlbany to a four-game sweep of Maine in America East play over the weekend.

Pitcheralle hit .500 for the week with 10 hits, including three doubles, one triple and one home run for a .900 slugging percentage. Pitcheralle scored seven runs and drove in another five while starting all five games in left field and recording 12 putouts without an error. He had two hits, including a double, and scored two runs in Friday’s 7-5 nightcap win over Maine, scoring the eighth-inning insurance run for the Great Danes in a one-run game after leading off the inning with a double. In Saturday’s first game, he went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, driving a homer over the left field fence in the first inning.

Kraham earned the win for UAlbany on the mound in the final game of an important four-game sweep of Maine in America East Conference action. In 5.2 innings, the rookie scattered five hits without allowing an earned run. Kraham issued just one walk while striking out four batters. He moves to 4-2 on the season with 32 strikeouts in 37.0 innings of work.

UAlbany (21-24, AE 13-7) currently stands in sole possession of second place in the America East standings. The Great Danes visit Le Moyne on Tuesday before hosting New York Tech over the weekend in non-conference action.